Other Titles

Developing critical thinking through curriculum and technology

Abstract

Session presented on Monday, July 27, 2015:

Experiences from the clinical setting are ideal for building critical thinking skills if reflection is used as a teaching tool. Reflecting on clinical experiences develops critical thinking ability, fosters self-understanding, facilitates coping, and leads to improvement in clinical practice (Craft, 2005; Kennison, 2006). Reflective writing as a pedagogical strategy allows students to integrate their thoughts and experiences with didactic material to more adequately understand both the experiences and the didactic material (McGuire, Lay, & Peters, 2009). Reflective writing is defined as an assignment that is focused on an activity that students have experienced, such as class readings, clinical rotations, or group activities, that highlights what the student leaRN from the activity (McGuire et al., 2009). Reflection is the purposeful and recursive contemplation of thoughts, feelings, and happenings that pertain to significant practice experiences (Judd, 2013). Reflective jouRNing helps students progressively develop their critical thinking, self-reflection skills, and cultural humility (Schuessler, Wilder, & Byrd, 2012). This study will explore reflective writing from the perspective of the nursing student and the nurse educator.

Purpose: The following questions will be answered: What are the benefits of reflective writing for the nursing student and the nurse educator? Why is reflective writing critical in nursing education? How can reflective writing develop critical thinking skills of nursing students? Why would nurse educators want to use reflective writing in their nursing courses, both clinical and didactic? What are the barriers to using reflective writing for students and educators? What is the role of the nurse educator in student reflection? What are the essential components of reflective writing assignments? What model best guides reflective writing assignments?

Methods: A literature review was performed exploring reflective writing, and reflective writing assignments were implemented in a previous research study.

Results: A model has been identified to guide reflective writing assignments: Richard Paul's Model of Critical Thinking.

Conclusion: Many benefits of reflective writing have been identified, and reflective writing can develop nursing students' critical thinking skills. Richard Paul's model's concepts can be implemented to guide nursing students' written reflections.

Author Details

Jessica L. Naber, RN

Sigma Membership

Unknown

Lead Author Affiliation

Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Critical Thinking, Reflective Writing

Conference Name

26th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Conference Year

2015

Rights Holder

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All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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A guide to nursing students' written reflections for students and educators

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Session presented on Monday, July 27, 2015:

Experiences from the clinical setting are ideal for building critical thinking skills if reflection is used as a teaching tool. Reflecting on clinical experiences develops critical thinking ability, fosters self-understanding, facilitates coping, and leads to improvement in clinical practice (Craft, 2005; Kennison, 2006). Reflective writing as a pedagogical strategy allows students to integrate their thoughts and experiences with didactic material to more adequately understand both the experiences and the didactic material (McGuire, Lay, & Peters, 2009). Reflective writing is defined as an assignment that is focused on an activity that students have experienced, such as class readings, clinical rotations, or group activities, that highlights what the student leaRN from the activity (McGuire et al., 2009). Reflection is the purposeful and recursive contemplation of thoughts, feelings, and happenings that pertain to significant practice experiences (Judd, 2013). Reflective jouRNing helps students progressively develop their critical thinking, self-reflection skills, and cultural humility (Schuessler, Wilder, & Byrd, 2012). This study will explore reflective writing from the perspective of the nursing student and the nurse educator.

Purpose: The following questions will be answered: What are the benefits of reflective writing for the nursing student and the nurse educator? Why is reflective writing critical in nursing education? How can reflective writing develop critical thinking skills of nursing students? Why would nurse educators want to use reflective writing in their nursing courses, both clinical and didactic? What are the barriers to using reflective writing for students and educators? What is the role of the nurse educator in student reflection? What are the essential components of reflective writing assignments? What model best guides reflective writing assignments?

Methods: A literature review was performed exploring reflective writing, and reflective writing assignments were implemented in a previous research study.

Results: A model has been identified to guide reflective writing assignments: Richard Paul's Model of Critical Thinking.

Conclusion: Many benefits of reflective writing have been identified, and reflective writing can develop nursing students' critical thinking skills. Richard Paul's model's concepts can be implemented to guide nursing students' written reflections.